New Dimensions Reached With Tony Gonzalez

Every offseason there are a few free agent signings or trade acquisitions that seem a cut above the rest. It's a signing that appears to raise the stakes for a particular team and the way a team will approach its play calling in key moments.

This offseason's big splash came when it was announced that future Hall-of -Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez had been acquired by the Atlanta Falcons. It was a move that made sense for both sides. Gonzalez, after years of putting up big numbers on bad teams in Kansas City, was going to a team on the rise. The Falcons, intent on proving their 11-5 season was more than just a one season flare up, made a move they needed to make to improve.

The Falcons offense was somewhere between effective and explosive last season. Atlanta averaged just over 24 points per contest and was sixth in total yards (361.2) and 10th in total points (391). But with Tony Gonzalez lining up the Falcons offense may have just made the leap to dynamic and explosive.

Gonzalez, despite his advancing age, is still arguably the best tight end in the league. He racked up over 1,000 receiving yards for the second consecutive season and reeled in 10 touchdowns. And this was while playing on one of the NFL's most abysmal offenses.

With NFL Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan lofting passes in his direction and Michael Turner pulling linebackers and safeties in his direction, it almost seems like a certainty that Gonzalez will have another 1,000 and 10 season.

For Ryan and the Falcons, this gives the team a bonafide threat in the red zone and will continue to free up room for speedster Roddy White (1,382 receiving yards, seven touchdowns) to make big plays down the field.

Adding a player like Gonzalez to a team forces your offensive coordinator to reassess just how he will call a game. So now, when it's third-and-1 in the fourth quarter instead of simply handing the ball off to Turner or having Jerious Norwood pound it up the middle a play action fake to one of those two will likely leave Gonzalez with a large enough window to score a game-altering touchdown.

With the addition of Gonzalez, the Falcons aren't just adding a tight end, they're adding a new dimension and creating a versatile offense.